House Hunting in Tanzania

The new house

Yes, we've been house-hunting in Tanzania! No real estate agent, no glossy brochures, no driving around subdivisions ... and we didn't have to ask about utilities! Actually there was only ever one house to look at, and it's perfect! A brick three bed-detatched! Really! We have been looking for a house to live in for our time in Magozi, and this house really fits the bill. It is beside the house belonging to the lovely people who have been hosting us on our visits to Magozi; the house belongs to his uncle and we will be renting from him. It is very close to the church building and to where the potters will be working. It has three rooms which will comfortably fit Tim and me, the girls and also Stout, Tim's assistant. We just need to put in some windows and I think we will also get a concrete floor put in throughout, although the girls were doing a great job sweeping the dirt floor today! The cooking is all done outside, so no need for a kitchen. We will need to dig a pit outside as the communal "loo" isn't quite adequate and we will also erect a more private kind of shelter for washing ourselves in! All in all, the house is far more spacious than we had expected and the location couldn't be better!

The water pump, close to our house but sporadic with its supply!

We were all very excited to see the house today. We took Tim’s parents to the Magozi Church; Tim's Dad was preaching with Stout translating and we also had Andrew, who was very kindly negotiating the house deal for us while we were there! And to our surprise, a group of us all ate lunch together in the house after the service! We are looking forward to moving in, hopefully in three weeks time! It will be a challenging time, we are sure, but we hope it will also be incredibly rewarding!



The view from the window - yes, even a football goalpost outside!